Gerson and Heather

I was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I spent about 6 years in the Northwest province of Haiti working at a Christian mission. I served as a translator, a feeding program manager, an electrician, and an assistant campus manager. I came to Saint Louis, Missouri in January 2007 to study for my BS in Preaching Ministry. I recently got married to Heather, a beautiful woman who grew up in Desloge, Missouri. She is the most wonderful and compassionate person I have ever met.

Heather and I first met in 2002 during her first internship in Saint Louis du Nord, Haiti, but it was not until June 2006 that we started a dating relationship . We got engaged in April 2007, and our wedding took place 0n October 13, 2007. Now we are sharing a life, a dream, and a passion to minister to this people group in the Far West region of Haiti. Heather has a very deep passion for orphans, abandoned children, and poverty stricken families. I eagerly desire the gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached adequately amongst the people. I also want to see a decrease of illiteracy and a reduction of hunger in this extremely poor region. The Far West has a very high rate of illiteracy. Between 80 to 90% of the population can not read or write. The number of well educated preachers found in that region is very minimal. Although I admire their genuine attitude toward their ministry, I believe that God has a new generation of leaders that he wants to raise up. My wife and I believe it is going to take people like us to join hands to make that happen. Heather and I are anticipating the challenges that lay ahead of us as we will be working towards eliminating illiteracy. This is a pattern that has existed for nearly two hundred years in that community, and we know it is not going to be a easy task. We believe by educating the children of the Far West region, many good preachers and other vital citizens will be brought to surface.

Life in Haiti is paradoxical. The riches and the assets of the country are in the hands of one people group that is known as the Bourgeoisie. This people group that represents about 2% of the population, owns and controls approximately 70% of the actual resources of the country. Meanwhile the majority of the Haitians are living in extreme poverty. 70 % of the population is unemployed, and 20 % of the employed group earns less than two dollars a day. Remote places like the Far West have a 0% employment opportunity. This congestion of financial resources and political power creates a huge social division within the island. Social injustice, political instability, and hunger are the major outcomes of this social division.

Throughout the years, many attempts have been made by the international world, and faith-based organizations to ease the social-economic problems of this poverty stricken island. But it seems like every year that goes by, the misery of the people deepens even more. No resolution seems to be the right solution. Millions of dollars have been poured into Haiti, yet the death toll from malnutrition has increased considerably, and infrastructures are still nonexistent. It is time to stop and ask if money is really the problem. In my understanding, the situation is more serious than just an economic issue.

There is an underlying problem that has not been touched yet. I was once very insulted by a Canadian who commented on poverty in Haiti. He said, if we were to migrate all the Haitians living in Haiti to Canada, and moved all the Canadians to Haiti, within twenty years Canada would look exactly like Haiti does today, and in less than 20 years Haiti would be what Canada is today. It is certainly a prideful comment, but I am afraid I would admit that there is an element of truth in the statement. Haiti has an abundance of natural resources that has not yet been utilized. Haiti is a beautiful island rich in culture and history, which are the major touristic attractions. In addition to that, at one time, this land was the world’s number one coffee producer, and a major exporter of sugar, bananas, cocoa, and cotton, just to name a few. Haiti has a history that its children need to catch up with. Unfortunately, 70% of the population has no clue whatsoever of how to fight poverty, and the 30 % that represent what we would call the intellectual group is only looking out for themselves. The philosophy of this group is “sauve qui peut,” a French phrase meaning “save yourself if you can.” There is no sense of common interest, or any emphasis on community development. Everyone has to do what they can to survive.

Haiti’s potential is embryonic. This land is in desperate need for a system that would help the embryos to develop and mature. The children of Haiti are the embryonic potential for a turning point in the situation of the country. A proper academic and Christian education for the underprivileged children is the hope of Haiti. Raising a generation of intellects that will walk in integrity and in the fear of the Lord is our goal. All our resources will be used to back up long-lasting ministries. We have no interest in temporary results. Our mission will be for every life that will be touched, saved, improved, and maximized through our ministry to go on and make a difference in their community.

Haiti needs the Jesus who loved, called, walked, taught, and listened. Haiti needs people who can identify the problems and call for proper solutions. The primary focus of our ministry will be to identify individuals with potential and help them reach that potential. That is why the availability of a good education system is a crucial part of this ministry. If people like Martin Luther, the Wright Brothers, Albert Einstein, and many others did not have the privilege of an education, we would have many blank pages in the World History, and our world would be so far behind. Every year that goes by, many Martin Luthers, Brother Wrights, and Albert Einsteins die intellectually in Haiti because they did not have the privilege of an education. This country will change when we give a chance to millions of underprivileged children.

Many years ago, the Far West land was farming area, and now it is turned into a desert. Because of erosion and an annual flooding, the good soil has been rushed into the ocean, and transformed the whole area into a barren land. The rivers that once were used to water the plantations have been dried up by the drought. The peasants persistently plow every year right before the raining season, hoping that God would send the rain, but the rain usually comes so abundantly that it washes the land away. The blazing sun also makes it impossible for successful harvests. Meanwhile, the condition of the land is deteriorating, the population is increasing, and poverty is striking even stronger.

Our dream is to bring the message of hope to this part of the country. We want to see the Gospel being preached in its fullness. Therefore, our vision is to build a strong educational program to help actual church leaders to learn how to read and write, and equip them with the basic knowledge of church ministry. We want to build serious middle schools and high schools through the area, and a US standard Christian University for students who have an interest in pursuing degrees in theology and biblical studies, agronomy, health care, social services, and business. We also want to start an orphanage for orphans and street kids. We are working with Saint Louis Christian College on a sustainable agriculture program that will send missions graduates students to train the Far West farmers in the care of green houses, fish farming, and land farming. This program will help reduce hunger and poverty in the region.

With a lot of prayers, God’s direction, and actions we believe that we can be used as an instrument for a change in the Far West community and Haiti as a whole. While we are here in the State, we are anticipating several years of work that will brighten the future for this poverty stricken people group.